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vpnMentor was established in 2014 to review VPN services and cover privacy-related stories. Today, our team of hundreds of cybersecurity researchers, writers, and editors continues to help readers fight for their online freedom in partnership with Kape Technologies PLC, which also owns the following products: ExpressVPN, CyberGhost, and Private Internet Access which may be ranked and reviewed on this website. The reviews published on vpnMentor are believed to be accurate as of the date of each article, and written according to our strict reviewing standards that prioritize professional and honest examination of the reviewer, taking into account the technical capabilities and qualities of the product together with its commercial value for users. The rankings and reviews we publish may also take into consideration the common ownership mentioned above, and affiliate commissions we earn for purchases through links on our website. We do not review all VPN providers and information is believed to be accurate as of the date of each article.
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vpnMentor was established in 2014 to review VPN services and cover privacy-related stories. Today, our team of hundreds of cybersecurity researchers, writers, and editors continues to help readers fight for their online freedom in partnership with Kape Technologies PLC, which also owns the following products: ExpressVPN, CyberGhost, and Private Internet Access which may be ranked and reviewed on this website. The reviews published on vpnMentor are believed to be accurate as of the date of each article, and written according to our strict reviewing standards that prioritize professional and honest examination of the reviewer, taking into account the technical capabilities and qualities of the product together with its commercial value for users. The rankings and reviews we publish may also take into consideration the common ownership mentioned above, and affiliate commissions we earn for purchases through links on our website. We do not review all VPN providers and information is believed to be accurate as of the date of each article.

PrivateVPN vs AirVPN 2024

Table of Contents
    Our Score: 9.2/10
    %s User Reviews
    More Info
    Our Score: 7.0/10
    %s User Reviews
    More Info

    Which VPN is better?

    Author Image Kristina Perunicic
    Kristina Perunicic

    Former Managing Editor

    AirVPN and PrivateVPN are known as high-quality VPN providers with topnotch network security and a strong commitment to giving you an unrestricted internet. Apart from the 256-bit encryption provided by these two VPNs, you can expect to benefit from tracking and leak protection, as well as a kill switch. You can also rely on both PrivateVPN and AirVPN to provide unrestricted support for downloading torrents anonymously, and smooth bypassing of tough geoblocks. There are also many differences between AirVPN and PrivateVPN, however. A Stealth VPN protocol and remote help during installation are exclusive to PrivateVPN, while AirVPN competes with port forwarding and a built-in dynamic DNS. And while both VPNs have dedicated apps for MacOS and Windows, you’ll only find mobile apps with PrivateVPN. In addition, while PrivateVPN spreads its 100 very fast servers across 56 countries, AirVPN has 223 servers but only covers about 20 countries. We’ve analyzed the VPNs across multiple categories below to help you determine which is better for you.

    Our Score

    Features 9.2/10
    Pricing 9.2/10
    Ease of Use 8.8/10
    Reliability & Support 9.2/10
    Features 7.0/10
    Pricing 7.4/10
    Ease of Use 6.8/10
    Reliability & Support 8.2/10

    Reviews

    Review by our expert
    Author Image Matthew Amos
    Matthew Amos

    Senior Editor

    Our Score: 9.2/10

    PrivateVPN advertises itself as one of the best VPNs for streaming at a low price. It also claims to have great torrenting support, strong security features, and a true no-logs policy. But PrivateVPN is a small company, so can it compete with the biggest VPNs? To learn the answer, I tested out everything it offers. My global team and I found out if it really lets you stream securely in the bes...

    Read all
    Latest positive user review
    D
    Daniel Andersson
    10.0/10
    Works Great for many years.

    I've been using their service for a great many years, and I'm very pleased indeed. Great service and s... upport, and more than enough speed for covering my needs. As long as they have coverage in countries I need to connect to, the number of servers in total is less relevant, as long as the servers they Do have provide enough speeds. They also support Wireguard, which is seldom mentioned in these reviews, probably since they don't have it in their native app, but they do and it's rock solid using that with their provided config files, and that in and of itself also increases the connection speeds, at least for me. All in all, they provide anything and all I want from a VPN provider. What others see as a downside, split tunneling and such, I see as a strength. I want my VPN provider to stick their nose in my business as little as possible, but rather provide a "clean VPN line" and then let Me decide what to do with my routing table. In short, they're Great, for my needs, but others will have to test and make up their own minds. :-DMore

    Latest negative user review
    E
    Emil
    2.0/10
    Been There

    I've been using PrivateVPN for a year. The main reason was due to good price. It's slow, on certain ho... urs of the day you can't watch video smoothly. They have down time or some other problem frequently and it take ages to fix it. Customer support are so poor that my mum without IT knowledge could probably do a better job. Now I switched to another one and feelings for PrivateVPN is much worse because I have something to compare withMore

    Read the full review
    Review by our expert
    Author Image Lawrence Wachira
    Lawrence Wachira

    Editor

    Our Score: 7.0/10

    AirVPN is a budget-friendly option that claims to provide robust protection against online threats. Plus, it says it offers high-performance servers. But can it really rival the top VPNs, or is the price so low because it’s not that good? After testing all its features, I found that AirVPN is secure, but it can't match the best VPNs. It has many great security features, solid speeds, and work...

    Read all
    Latest positive user review
    M
    Marco
    8.0/10
    I am AirVpn cusomers since 2015, and on my gear works remarkably well

    I am working in the biggest country in Asia since 2006. I constantly use AirVpn on my MacBook Pro sinc... e 2015, and on my iPhone - iPad. I never had an issue, of any kind, with it, and I was quite amazed to read the article above. Lately, it is very difficult to get it properly run on iPhone and iPad, but this is more the result of this country where I live in restrictions than the vpn in itself. While in Hong Kong was still working fine, but as soon as I crossed the border troubles started. I will tweak that as soon as I will be out again. In the rest of the world, I never had issues. So I do not give the 5th star just because of my at present troubles using it on my iPhone and iPad. For the rest, I will stick with it.More

    Latest negative user review
    A
    Ari
    2.0/10
    14 Eyes country

    Italy is a 14 Eyes country and that is enough reason to not buy AirVPN. No servers in Russia, so you c... ant bypass the Western censorship of Russian media. VPN should be about bypassing censorship, but this is not the case with AirVPN.More

    Read the full review

    Pricing

    Starting price $2/month
    Money Back Guarantee (Days) 30 Days
    Number of devices per license 10 devices
    Starting price $2.91/month
    Money Back Guarantee (Days) 30 Days
    Number of devices per license 5 devices

    Best VPN by Category

    Best VPN Overall

    PrivateVPN’s speed, security features, 24/7 support, and overall effectiveness at accessing hard-to-crack restricted websites make it a better VPN overall. AirVPN also has a reliable service, however, with decent security features and support for different levels of OpenVPN encryption.

    Best VPN for Torrents

    PrivateVPN is our recommended VPN for downloading torrents without a trace. The provider’s strict no-logs policy keeps you anonymous, while dedicated, high-speed UK servers for P2P activities offer speedy downloads. AirVPN also has an unrestricted P2P service and includes port forwarding to keep you anonymous while you torrent. However it does not match up to PrivateVPN’s speed.

    Best VPN for Windows

    PrivateVPN has a dedicated Windows app that features strong encryption, IPv6 leak protection, and a very smooth user interface that’s easy to learn and understand. AirVPN provides a dedicated Windows app that gives you access to dynamic port forwarding and a built-in DNS service. We do like the fact that AirVPN’s Windows app has a name – “Eddie.”

    Best VPN for Android

    PrivateVPN features a well-designed Android app that can be set up within minutes and includes tracking and wi-fi protection. AirVPN does not have an Android app, but you should be able to configure it easily by using the universal OpenVPN app available on Play Store. Though the manually installed VPN offers limited features, it still includes 256-bit encryption.

    Best VPN for Mac

    The availability of a Stealth VPN protocol and advanced leak protection delivered via a user-friendly interface make PrivateVPN a very powerful service for MacOS. The strengths of AirVPN’s MacOS service lie in its built-in DNS, port forwarding, and strong encryption.

    Best VPN for iOS

    We recommend PrivateVPN for iOS users because the dedicated app has a smooth interface and protection from IPv6 leaks and wi-fi hacking. Meanwhile, AirVPN does not have a dedicated iOS app, but the VPN allows manual configurations and supports OpenVPN via SSL, SSH, and TOR.

    Best VPN for USA

    PrivateVPN provides very fast, dedicated US servers that flawlessly access Netflix and similar US websites from any location worldwide. Meanwhile, AirVPN uniquely allows you to unblock Netflix-US from all the network’s servers, even those in other countries. In addition, AirVPN provides dedicated US servers for bypassing other American geoblocked content.

    The Bottom Line

    See Plans & Pricing

    AirVPN competed well, but PrivateVPN deserves its status as a truly elite VPN service. It offers faster server connections and is more reliable for uninterrupted streaming of geoblocked content from anywhere worldwide. PrivateVPN’s provision of dedicated mobile apps and a free Team Viewer remote help feature to guide beginners through installation and setup are two more of the many reasons why it rises above all but a very few premium VPNs.

    Time to decide which one is best for you

    Go with PrivateVPN
    Go with AirVPN
    Or click here to check best VPNs, rated by {{review_count}} users

    FAQ

    Is PrivateVPN better than AirVPN?

    Yes, PrivateVPN is better overall than AirVPN. It has 200 servers in 63 countries, fast speeds, and impressive security features.

    Best of all, you can take advantage of its latest discount and get it for only $2 a month.

    What should I keep in mind when choosing between PrivateVPN and AirVPN?

    When choosing a VPN, you want to pay close attention to its number of servers, overall speed score, pricing, and the number of simultaneous device connections it offers. While some VPNs provide a flawless online experience, others will really slow you down.

    If you’re ready to commit, then PrivateVPN may be perfect for you due to its performance during the tests .

    Is PrivateVPN faster than AirVPN?

    Yes, PrivateVPN is faster than AirVPN. Since your VPN is your computer’s main connection to the internet, you need to use a service that won’t slow you down by more than 20%.

    If speeds are important to you, then I recommend you take a look at ExpressVPN. It’s the fastest service out there, provides unlimited bandwidth, and you won’t experience any slowdowns even when you connect to the other side of the planet. You can try it out risk-free. It’s backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can get a full refund if you don’t like it.

    Do PrivateVPN or AirVPN offer any deals?

    Both PrivateVPN and AirVPN offer deals on occasion. You can check out the current coupons and discounts here. However, ExpressVPN has the best deals. Right now, you can get a 82% discount and up to 3 months for free with a new subscription.

    We review vendors based on rigorous testing and research but also take into account your feedback and our affiliate commission with providers. Some providers are owned by our parent company.
    Learn more
    vpnMentor was established in 2014 to review VPN services and cover privacy-related stories. Today, our team of hundreds of cybersecurity researchers, writers, and editors continues to help readers fight for their online freedom in partnership with Kape Technologies PLC, which also owns the following products: ExpressVPN, CyberGhost, and Private Internet Access which may be ranked and reviewed on this website. The reviews published on vpnMentor are believed to be accurate as of the date of each article, and written according to our strict reviewing standards that prioritize professional and honest examination of the reviewer, taking into account the technical capabilities and qualities of the product together with its commercial value for users. The rankings and reviews we publish may also take into consideration the common ownership mentioned above, and affiliate commissions we earn for purchases through links on our website. We do not review all VPN providers and information is believed to be accurate as of the date of each article.

    About the Author

    Kristina Perunicic is a former editor for vpnMentor. She’s a cybersecurity expert with an interest in VPNs and their importance in the digital privacy landscape.